Sluggish week for corn and soybean?

           

On Tuesday night, June 16, 2009, I received a call from Colby Brink (Legend Seeds Agronomist)
inquiring what to do with slugs feeding on corn seedlings near Miller (Hand County).  The following
morning, Crop Consultant Matt Hubsch also informed me of slugs feeding, this time, on soybean
near Bryant (Hamlin County).

Both fields were in no-till conditions with significant amount of crop residues on the surface; the
slugs were hiding in the soil underneath the residues during the day, then feeding on the seedlings
at night.

On Wednesday (June 17), I called Brad Berven with the SD Department of Ag and he swiftly went
to work to secure a Section 3 registration for metaldehyde (Deadline MPs) which had not been
labeled for SD until this week.  By Thursday early morning, Brad called to inform me that Deadline
MPs can now be used in the state.  The cost of treatment (application not included) may be $26 per
acre as it is the only product labeled for now.  Thursday afternoon, Sam Geyer (Legend Seeds
District Sales Manager) and I paid the grower (Spencer) a visit and snapped some slug photos.

Slugs are defoliators and can also cause stand loss when they feed on the germinating seeds.
The field may be assessed as if it were damaged by hail; the decision whether to treat or not can
be based on potential yield losses due to potential stand loss and defoliation in corn or soybean.

I would like to thank Colby Brink, Matt Hubsch, Sam Geyer, and Brad Berven for working with me
in documenting the very first slug damage to crops in SD, and for finding a slug pesticide that can
be used by our growers this season and in the future. For the record, it took less than 2 days for
Brad to secure a Section 3 for Deadline MPs!   Thanks everyone for a job well done! 

It was a slow and sluggish rainy night . . .

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 Web Posted on Friday, June 19, 2009 by Mike Catangui. Last Updated on June 19, 2009.